Quotable Koivu: In his own words from 1993 entry draft to 2014 retirement

"When I think about some of the runs we had in the playoffs, the excitement in Montreal … the only thing we weren’t able to do was win the Stanley Cup," Saku Koivu said when he retired. "In my wildest dreams, I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to lift the Cup there.”

A selection of Saku Koivu quotes compiled by the Montreal Gazette’s Dave Stubbs, from Koivu’s June 1993 draft into the NHL by the Canadiens to his September 2014 retirement after 18 seasons in the NHL — 13 with the Canadiens, his last five with the Anaheim Ducks:

“The Canadiens are a winning team and one of the best organizations in the NHL. I was very happy because they are a good team. It was a dream come true. Since I was 5 or 6, I’ve had dreams about the NHL. … I have to skate hard so the big defencemen don’t touch me. There are already some doubters in Finland saying that I’m not big enough to play in the NHL, but my size is big enough. If I don’t grow, I’ll have to skate harder. … I don’t have to be big to play my style.”– Koivu in a June 1993 Montreal Gazette story after he’d been selected by the Canadiens in the first round, 21st overall, of the 1993 NHL entry draft from Turku of the Finnish Elite League

“It’s a great honour to be a captain in the National Hockey League and especially with this team. This isn’t something that would have happened 15 years ago. It’s still rare for a European to be captain and it’s a great thing for hockey in Finland. … This (isn’t) something I would dare to dream about.”– Sept. 30, 1999, upon being voted by teammates the Canadiens’ 27th captain in franchise history, the first European so appointed

“I hate to lose. That’s how I’ve always been. It doesn’t matter if it’s a playoff game or even a simple one-on-one drill in practice. I need to win and I won’t ever back down. … I don’t know what I would have done without (wife) Hanna by my side every step of the way. The whole experience has definitely made us stronger and her support is what kept me believing that I would pull through.”– 2003 Canadiens Magazine feature, one year after his return to hockey following his battle with cancer, more precisely intra-abdominal non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

“I was afraid. No, afraid isn’t the right word. Anxious and intimidated, at the same time. Look at the people who have worn the C — it’s a pretty amazing group of players and human beings.”– December 2006 in a Montreal Gazette feature about his leadership, remembering being voted captain in 1999

“The history is all around you here. You see all the names and faces of the people, the great teams that have been here. When I was named captain of the Canadiens, I heard more about these men. But what shocked me was later, when I walked into the (Bell Centre’s) Mise au Jeu restaurant and saw the paintings of the team’s captains hanging on the wall. The last one was me. You can’t really believe that you’re among those other players.”– December 2006 Montreal Gazette feature

“When you face adversity, that’s when you test a person and see what he’s all about. For me, becoming a better leader came in the years when this team wasn’t doing well. There’s more to do when things aren’t going well. That happened when we couldn’t always compete with the best. We just weren’t good enough.”– December 2006, speaking about the first two seasons of his captaincy

“Look at the people who have worn the C. When I look at the pictures on the (dressing-room) wall, it’s a pretty amazing group of players and human beings. … If I get stuck in the moment (now), that’s not good. But I think I’ll realize how big a thing it is to be a captain of this team in 20 years. Or in 10 years, when I’m gone and retired and I’m sitting home, watching. That’s when it will hit me.”– October 2008, beginning his 13th season with the Canadiens (14th year, counting the 2004-05 lockout), what would be his final season in a Habs uniform

“My year with cancer gave me the permission to be able to enjoy and to forget. When you’re 23, 24, 25, you’re not overly experienced with your life. Maybe I took things more personally then. The captaincy and being here a long time has taught me a lot. Do I enjoy (the criticism)? No. But do I take it personally? No, I don’t. The things I’ve learned and experienced as captain are going to help me in the years after I’ve finished playing.”– October 2008

“(Montreal) is an interesting place every now and then. If I’m ever criticized about my performance on the ice, I don’t have a problem with that. It’s part of being a pro athlete. But sometimes the stuff that’s created by (media) who aren’t with the team and don’t know what’s going on, it gets tough sometimes.”– April 25, 2009, following what would be his final game with the Canadiens

“I have a special thanks for all the Canadiens fans in the province of Quebec, for all these years, especially the year I went through my cancer treatment. I will never forget that. … I’m a better person. I will never forget the years I’ve spent there. … All the years (in Montreal), no matter how big hockey is, all the things I went through off the ice kind of made me realize that it’s just a game. There’s so much more in life than that.— July 8, 2009, upon signing as a free agent with the Anaheim Ducks

“I’m extremely proud of the years I spent in Montreal. The man, the husband, the human being I am today is mainly because of the experiences and years I spent in Montreal. It’s an unbelievably great city, a great place to play hockey (but) not an easy place always. I’ve played with a lot of great players and been involved with a lot of great people.”– July 2009, upon signing with Anaheim

“When we landed today (from Toronto), it felt like we were coming home. It felt really comfortable, like we’d left a week ago. I feel really lucky, privileged, that I was able to play here for so long. It’s going to feel like I’m playing on home ice, in a home arena, but I’ll be wearing a Ducks jersey. I should be the one standing on the red line, applauding the fans, giving them a standing ovation.”– Jan 21, 2011, now a member of the Anaheim Ducks, speaking about his first NHL game on Montreal ice wearing any jersey other than the Canadiens’ that he’d play the following night

“During my cancer treatments, I never thought about what would happen with hockey. It was more important just to survive and beat the disease. Since then, I’m allowing myself to enjoy life and hockey more, even if the game has lost a ton of its meaning and importance in my life. I’ve been OK for a long time with one day having to retire. Whenever it ends, I’ll feel I’ve accomplished a lot and I’m okay with that.”– March 2012 as a member of the Ducks, on the threshold of his 1,000th NHL game

“(Montreal) is where I grew up, in a way. It’s where I went from being a 20-year-old boy who left his home in Finland to become a man.”– March 2012

“I’m positive that at one point I’ll miss that emotion, what you feel after a great game. I’m also quite certain I won’t miss the commitment you have to make to do it every day. When I think about some of the runs we had in the playoffs, the excitement in Montreal … the only thing we weren’t able to do was win the Stanley Cup. In my wildest dreams, I can’t even imagine what it would have been like to lift the Cup there.”– September 10, 2014, announcing his retirement. Koivu played 18 seasons in the NHL: 1,124 regular-season games and 80 playoff games, having played for the Canadiens through 13 seasons (14 including the 2004-05 lockout) and the Anaheim Ducks for five more. He scored 255 goals and totalled 832 points in the regular season, adding 18 goals and 59 points in the playoffs

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